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As many here will know I came from a Prius to the Lexus "opposite ends of the hybrid chain". I was hoping that the Lexus would be as or more bullet proof than the Prius. I initially bought a well looked after full service history GS450H on the theory it should be a reliable car to test the water before buying new. I must admit I like the car very much. I now have serious doubts about spending the amount of money on what will probably be my last car with the long standing problems the GS has that have not been resolved by Lexus. I could probably buy a second hand low millage Tesla for less money, and spend much less in maintenance. Allowing for fuel costs the Tesla would win hands down even with possible battery replacements. If I spend the sort of money required for a new GS or other model Lexus I would need to know Lexus are going to stand behind there product without me buying my way into what seems to be a lottery of extended warranties, or replacing expensive parts that have short lives. The Prius had a 100,000 mile 8 year guarantee along with several other manufacturers. The only items replaced on the Prius under guarantee at 40,000 miles were the rear (KYB again) shocks "only one faulty, but both were replaced free of charge being told by the dealers they should always be replaced in pairs" Even going to the extent of showing this requirement in the repair manual. Then having no more problems when I sold the car at 128,000 miles. Lexus the so called premium brand of Toyota offer nothing like this length of guarantee. So in my mind either they are after big profits at the expense of customers, or they realize there products are not reliable enough to be able to offer a longer guarantee. John.

I agree with John here. Just because it's a free market and we're not forced to buy Lexus, the sad truth is that they deliberately have a stranglehold on the availability of aftermarket parts, including shocks, for many of their vehicles. This means that effectively, you have no choice but to buy from them when something fails. I am sick and tired being told by their sales team guys that they "never go wrong sir" when they most certainly do go wrong and more frequently than they'd like it known. Whilst they are generally well designed and thought has been put into every area of construction, some parts slip through that clearly should have been redesigned or put right years ago. The sin here isn't that things go wrong, it's knowing that, Lexus fail to do anything about it. It's enough to make me think twice about buying another one simply due to the premiums involved. For a premium brand to disregard such things is the sort of arrogance which will eventually result in falling sales as people won't come back. Little things matter. I put my foot down and refused to pay their frankly ridiculous price for fitting replacement tpms valves. It wasn't the dealership's fault, it was Lexus Central. How they can justify their rip-off pricing of close on £400 for 4 valves is beyond me. The dealership kindly agreed to waiving the labour charge for fitting them as they also found it embarrassing but as a franchise, they're hands are tied when it comes to parts cost. I also managed to get a decent rate on the shock absorbers when it was argued that a failure of this magnitude at this mileage wasn't wear and tear, it was down to poorly specified shock absorbers. One I could understand. 3 out of 4 now replaced is not on, especially when there's no warranty replacement. I will be buying a newer Lexus, as all marques have their issues (I had no end of them with Volvo who were even more of a rip off for parts than Lexus), but it may be my last one if there's any repeats of these things, or if they continue to be so greedy about parts costs. We'll see.

I can't help thinking you need to take it to a competent mechanic or main dealer to get a proper diagnosis. Driving it with an unidentified noise could cause further and more serious problems. You may be fortunate enough to find it's not something major. Keep us posted though.

The RX is specifically marketed as a vehicle that will operate in all climatic conditions, from the arctic wilderness to the desert heat. For Lexus service to simply write this problem off "as the cold weaver guv" is unprofessional to say the least. If the RX hybrid system has an Achilles heal, they should come clean about it, but it does sound more like a charging issue. It doesn't matter if it's in EV mode OR Eco mode because once charge runs below a certain amount, to prevent total battery drainage, the system, even if in EV mode should switch to ICE automatically. It sounds like a problem with the charging or storage system. It should have naff all to do with the weather. A medium or longish run, driving gently, to recharge the battery will conform this. Left overnight and without radio or seat heaters etc on, it ought to run on battery in EV mode from the get-go. If not, I'd be re-contacting the service department and not taking "No" for an answer. Hot weather is as much a drain on batteries with many old battery failures occurring in older vehicles with the additional loads presented by aircon running all the time.

It's mine! Bought it earlier this year and gets driven like it was designed too as much as possible. If it did have a tough early life - it doesn't show, cosmetically or mechanically!! It's Only done 30k miles, and has a impeccable FLSH. I'm very pleased so far with the isf - it is certainly a grower, bags and bags of character.

I do believe there are Lexus models that have not had problems, and this may or may not relate to the older models when Lexus was establishing it's self as a brand. Unfortunately the GS450H does have problems with the shock absorbers at around £300 each for the parts only. This could be put down to the weight of the batteries but since the front and rear shocks suffer the same problems I doubt it.The new parts being no better than the old ones with Lexus quibbling about changing them under extended guarantee. Simply saying they are a ware, and tare item, and that description fits just about every part on any vehicle. This is rather like the old insurance get out of things going wrong is an act of God. To fit a better seal system, or protect the old seal better may well overcome the problem, but no modification seems to be forthcoming. The same goes for brake calipers seizing on the slide pins with the standard procedure from Lexus of changing the calipers at £280 each. Now this affects many Lexus models, and as far as I am aware there has been no modification to the part or instructions to lubricate the pins at service intervals. Not what I expect from any manufacturer be it Fords or Lexus. I cannot justify to myself buying a new "expensive car" that the manufacturer will not stand by when things go wrong. Being in engineering all my life I do understand some things unforeseen can and do go wrong, but when this happens the only viable alternative is to put things right. Not to bury things in the sand and hope they will go away. People have long memories, and it is very easy to loose them as customers. I for instance having had eight BMW's but will never buy another due to similar treatment by them. This was not the dealers fault they really did there best in the situation, but in the end they also lost out on sales of at a minimum of four new cars plus servicing of same. This over work costing £800. John

My daughter still has the Yaris, paid £300 for it in 2007 and it's still going strong, she gets married in April then she's buying a Merc CLK...!!

Yep, diff oil.

17801-31170 is the air filter, other part number not recognised but probably differential oil.

No first aid kit or warning triangle in any of my IS's, that's a BMW feature? The straps to the right side of the boot hold my ex BMW first aid kit, logo and all.

Haylands I would browse the Lexus owners US site, there are a lot more owners and contributers there ,I think the shortage of low mileage high price is holding back some of our stalwart 400 and 430 owners plus the reliability promise with their models. I would not buy a 460 now as my 400 as only got 37k on it and you will be hard pressed to find a 460 with that mileage. The 400s and 430s were bought by lots of private converts from other marques, less so the 460 they were bought by leasing companies for corporate use, hence high miles. Good luck and welcome back.

Hi Pete welcome back - you were a member when i joined the lexus fold 9 years ago and i remember your posts especially the LPG install and gearknob re-leathering one lol! I also remember your Yaris project! Im currently on my 4th LS (430) I havent come across any common problems with the 460 apart from: 1) Failing heated seat relays 2) Failed steering racks 3) Failed shock absorbers Even these problems are very limited. My advice is if you are going for a higher mileage one then get an independant inspection done. There is one on AT at the moment which has had all 4 shock absorbers replaced! The engine and transmission are bullet proof - I am hoping to upgrade one day! I would say go and buy one for 2 reasons - one - you are great forum contributor and two I need a good through comparison review between the 430 and 460 and i know you are man for the job! Good Luck!

its at 73k miles, phoned them they didn't pick up today, so i've removed the EGR and cleaned it and i added an additive to my fuel and filled up with bp diesel. So far so good all power is back and after ragging it a few times everything seems to of cleaned up... for now. Heres some photos:

I've got an '07 460........apart from a small electronic glitch (which was fixed with a system reset) I've had absolutely no problems at all. As a matter of interest, if you read the US 430 and 400 forums they would put you off as well.

As you have benefited from so much advanced medical engineering it seems appropriate to now enjoy some top flight automotive engineering. Best of luck to you. From what I have read on the US forum I would not buy an early LS460 because of costly maintenance but that is just my opinion. I would not hesitate to go for an '06 LS430. Sorry if that is not what you want to hear but I trust you will be happy back inside a Lexus.

Well my shocks are now all replaced. Handles much better now. Having 4 new shocks and the Lexus extended warranty should go some way towards trouble free motoring :) Still creaky dash though which is a bit annoying. Do you think they would look at this, or just put it down to wear and tear?

I think the shock absorber issue is so well know that they should replace without quibble - I was thinking about trying the 450h but i have had an utterly reliable ls430 for the last 4 years so have decided to hold out for either a 460 or 600h - part of the reason was the common issues with the 450h such as shocks

Yes Phil, that is indeed the sensible approach and I think that there is no more working around it. It looks like it will have to be the nearest Lexus stealership at this rate Unfortunately it will prob be very booked up for a while now but i'll have to see. Watch this space, i'll let u all know what happens eventually as it does. Alex

I couldn't do without the reversing camera in the GS now tbh. One of the things that has swayed me towards the F-Sport is that it has both the HUD as standard plus lateral dampers for better body control. It would have been nice if both those things had been standard across the RX range.

The Audi's refinement will soon be forgotten if you buy an LS, they are surely the most refined cars ever built, driving one will immediately confirm it! Be warned though, once you've owned one anything else will be like the second pressing of the grape!

As much as I like the CT I would not recommend it as a family car, especially with three children who are no doubt growing. The car is simply too small. I would recommend a Toyota Prius which is much bigger... but also cheaper... if you can live with the looks!

I think both are worth having. The HUD is brilliant in the sense that all essential information is always in your field of vision. I like the panoramic view: yes parking sensors are good, but I find the pano view helps when reversing into a space in a car park. When parallel parking, you can also see how far you are from the kerb

As above, remove fluid with a turkey Bastor and then refill to correct level according to the dipstick level markings on the reservoir cap.

Lexus suggest the following as possible cause (in order of likelihood) Open or short in engine wire harness Connector connection Vacuum hose connection Ignition system Injector Fuel pressure Mass air flow meter Engine coolant temperature sensor Compression pressure Valve clearance Valve timing PCV hose connection PCV hose ECM

well said john

Yes the F Sport holds its value better than the Premier. The ML sound is hard to come by as there's not much difference between the Pioneer 8 speaker system in the cars with Premium Nav. The £1000 extra cost of the ML is not worth it IMO, I wrote a thread about this a while back but I'd strongly suggest listening to an F Sport without ML and see if its good enough for you The 6 speaker is best avoided and this is only on cars without premium nav.

I have to agree with steveledzep on this one. The is220d is the work of the devil. Trust me I've owned one. Trade it in for the 250. You won't be disappointed.

Take it back to the dealer and demand a refund. Then buy an IS250....far better vehicle !!

Done; 20% tints. Just need to give it a few days to dry out properly and all will be good. That and I need to clean the outside a bit

I've finally got round to place a firm order with Leeds for a RX Premier with Style/Pro pack in Deep Blue with Brown leather. Discount was 10.7% off equating to £6179. Not only that Woodford Lexus are offering 11.7% off a Premier. They are offering huge discounts for March registrations as the new ( ripoff) VED bands start on April 1st. Anything above £40000 is going to get hammered saleswise.

That still does not make it right. How about we get rid of all consumer rights, and make Toyota, and the dealers even more profitable. I am not saying there should be no cut off point to any guarantee, but where a component is obviously not up to it's intended purpose it should not be the customer that pays. This particularly when parts that are failing in numbers, and are priced at a level of high profibility. John

You do realise that as soon as you drive down the road with a new air filter it's dirty ? "replace as required" is purely a subjective view based on the mechanic's decision, which is more likely to be driven by dealership bottom line or his\her laziness rather than consideration of the customers 'value for money' In fact the problem with this whole thread is that people will have different standards. Some people will be really happy because they got their car back washed and hoovered and never actually realise that the oil filter was never replaced or that there is excessive play in a ball join that should have been spotted by a mechanic. Others, like above, will notice that the oil has been overfilled which can sometimes lead to damage if not spotted and is just pure negligence on behalf of the dealership when you are paying over £200 for a basic service. I wonder how many people on here check their oil levels after a service, not many I suspect.

I did read your post, but I said what I did because it seems all your problems were with the sales side, not service? I am not going to comment on second hand cars and salesmen, but perhaps there is a difference between it and whether your oil and air filters are changed? As for the service history, this is what it says when you click Approved Service History on the main used car page of the Lexus website: Now, I don't mean to take the ***** (really, I don't), but it wasn't hard to find the information that it might not have a complete service history? Don't get me wrong, I think the stuff you mentioned in your post is shocking, and I would definitely give any car I purchased from a dealer a good once over before buying. But I think I have laboured the point enough now, and perhaps I will get to use your advice about buying a car from a Lexus dealer if I am lucky enough one day.

Well, based on these two statements, I feel that even good service from a dealer would not convince you to like them. The fact that this thread is mostly glowing praise should tell you something about Lexus dealers in general. Is the service always perfect? No. However, compared to some of the experiences that myself and my friends have had with other manufacturers' dealers, they are miles ahead. Also, the official service checklist is available on the Lexus website. It states: "Inspect air filter - replace as required (model dependant)" This is quite reasonable since replacing a clean filter serves no purpose.

I think @doog442 is perhaps being a little paranoid. This is not some back street garage that is looking to make a few quid but not doing the basics. The only thing I would suggest is to enquire directly about the air filter since it might have not been changed due to the mileage.

i have had the arm rest rattle and fixed it ages ago and it hasn't come back. on the front of the storage bin where the armrest locks i wrapped a piece of self adhesive felt around the locking point from the top and wrapping it underneath this now pulls the armrest down by the smallest amount but the rattle is gone.